1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery, a battery module, and a method for operating at least one battery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, supply various apparatuses, such as motor vehicles, hospitals, or power drills, with electrical current. In general, a plurality of batteries is combined in a housing of a battery module to make a larger arrangement of batteries. Battery modules have the advantage that they can be more easily cooled with a coolant, and higher levels of electrical power can be made available by the combination of a plurality of batteries to make a battery module.
In the batteries, both electrodes and at least one electrolyte are present. By means of chemical processes in the battery, the battery can make electrical current available, and conversely can be recharged by means of electrical current. In the course of operation of a battery, the material of which the electrodes are comprised and the electrolyte or electrolyte substance are often exhausted irreversibly by various oxidation reactions or other reactions, producing gas. Among other things, these processes are responsible for irreversible aging of the battery, with the consequence of a greatly shortened life of the battery.